


sailing home once and for all

by kamelea



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, B99 Summer 2019 Fic Exchange, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hugs, Kisses, Peraltiago, Pining Amy, at the end it gets sickeningly sweet, bc we all love peraltiago hugs, sailor!jake au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 01:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20018083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamelea/pseuds/kamelea
Summary: In the universe where Jake is a sailor from New York, he finds himself coming back home to this one special girl - detective Amy Santiago.





	sailing home once and for all

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sharkinterviewee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkinterviewee/gifts).



> hi, @sharkinterviewee! this my fic for you for the @b99fandomevents challenge - not sure if that’s what you had in mind giving the prompt “ocean/sea imagery or theme“ but I hope you enjoy it anyway! :) (just wanna say I'm a huge fan of your writing and I'm very happy I got to write the challenge fic for you <3)
> 
> Huge THANK YOU goes to @AmyDancepantsPeralta, this fic wouldn’t have turn out the way it did if it wasn’t for your input and all your priceless help❤ also, thanks @Kufikiria for letting me rant about this thing 💕 I’m very happy I could participate in this awesome event so thanks @elsaclack and @startofamoment for setting it up!
> 
> Enjoy!

“Jake, you're twisting it in a weird angle!”

Meet Amy. Amy Santiago, to be precise, a young detective from New York, aspiring to be the youngest Captain in the history of the NYPD: currently worrying about her injured friend.

“Title of your sex tape!”

And this is said friend, or best friend as he likes to point out to her on various occasions, Jake Peralta, a young sailor from New York: currently on a medical leave because of a nasty bullet wound in his leg.

“Ugh, just let me help you get out of the car!” 

There are many reasons for Amy's irritation in that particular moment. First of all, she's a bundle of nerves because they're just about to enter _her_ party, where she's about to celebrate her recent promotion in the ranks of the NYPD - she’s a detective now. Secondly, she's going to party with her boss, the one and only Captain Raymond Holt - a true hero and her mentor, and that's why she has to try her hardest not to make a fool of herself tonight. Which also means she shouldn't drink any alcohol, because according to her friends (or Jake's rather, given the fact that it is Gina's observation) Amy drinks by the rules of a certain scale, making her more capable of embarrassing herself with every drink she takes. And if she can't drink, it means it's going to be extra hard to calm down her nerves. 

And there is one more reason for Amy Santiago to be nervous, though she's not willing to admit it, even in the back of her mind. And the reason is her best friend Jake meeting her boyfriend Teddy tonight. The only part of Amy Santiago aware of such musings is her gut, and her gut is telling her this is not going to go smoothly.

First and foremost though, Amy Santiago is irritated because Jake Peralta is not willing to cooperate in the complicated procedure of getting him out of her car. Why complicated? Oh, because his leg is injured, after he's been shot in the thigh. By her. A month ago.

“Ames, there's no need for you to babysit me. I'm totally capable of getting out of the car by myself, I'm a grown man!” Even though he means it as a scolding, the goofy grin his giant mouth forms betrays his true mood.

“Jake, we're going to be late and you know how much I hate being late! And it's my party!”

“Amy, _your_ party doesn't start in the next half an hour. How on earth can we be late?”

“I'm late according to my plan, I was supposed to be there an hour early just to make sure nobody gets there before me.”

“You're a dorky weirdo, Amy Santiago, you know that?”

“Yeah, you tell me that like twice a day. Now give me your hand and pull yourself up!” She’s using her most reprimanding voice on him, despite learning a long time ago that it had absolutely zero affect on him. He responds with a chuckle at her exasperation - demonstrating how much he thinks she's exaggerating - making her roll her eyes in annoyance.

“I can see your leg is healing well, Peralta.” Holt's smooth voice fits well the elegant way he points at Jake’s leg and Amy sighs in contentment, the awareness of her being worthy enough of having such a superb guest at her promotion party overflowing her.

“It would heal much better if you'd got me that medal you promised me, Sir.” 

“I told you already there is no chance for you to get a medal. The procedures of being a liaison for the NYPD - the documents CYX-4756-RW and CYX-4758-RW to be precise - state clearly that in this particular situation there is no legal basis for you to get an official NYPD commendation for your service. I get how inequitable it may seem, but these are the rules and they need to be followed.”

She wishes she could admire for a little longer the way Raymond recitates the NYPD procedures with such ease, but of course Jake had to ruin this blissful moment for her.

“Jake knows all of it, Sir, he's only joking... Sir.” Amy makes a weird bow with her head but recollects herself, seeing the puzzled look on Holt's face and an amused one on Jake's.

“I see. People often use humour to obliterate a trauma they're dealing with. And I can only imagine how hard it is to overcome such a traumatic experience of being shot by a partner and a friend.”

There it is, that goofy smile on Jake's face as he's nodding his head vigorously hearing Captain's words and sensing an opportunity to tease Amy.

“Oh, Sir, you have no idea-” He's about to get into the mocking thing but Amy decides not to let him, mumbling polite apologies in Holt's direction, as she grabs Jake's arm in order to pull him somewhere he's not able to embarrass her in front of her authority figure.

“Hey, Santiago! That wasn't part of the deal! You said I can make as much fun of you for shooting me as I please! And I please a lot!”

“I forgot to mention this doesn't apply to my boss!”

“You make a whole lot of terms for a person who _shot_ me! Shouldn't it be the other way round?” The playful tone indicates Jake's not really angry with her, and for n-th time this last month Amy wonders how is this possible.

Actually, this is one of the things she admires the most in Jake Peralta - his absolute lack of capability of bearing a grudge against anybody. Though, truth be told, in the course of the last year she's known Peralta, she’s become aware of his many assets. For instance, his integrity - she knows for a fact that there were countless occasions in his life when he's been offered to have some profit by committing some kind of crime, but he never caved in. Also, his kindness - she's been a witness of it but also the receiver, so many times. He's also very smart, even if it's in his own adorable way. Though the detective in her has to admit that he's incredibly good at connecting the dots, when it comes to solving cases. 

And he makes her laugh. A lot.

“What do you say I buy you a beer as a remedy?” She sighs in resignation, succumbing to his goofy charms.

“This is awesome. Did it go right through?” Diaz was already at the bar, sipping neat whiskey and the moment they approached her, Jake had to show her the wound. Despite Amy's protest not to move the dressing.

“No, Rosa.” It has started to annoy Amy that every person they talk to needs to mention the fact that she did, in fact, shoot her friend. As if she hasn't been blaming herself for it enough. “He was lucky enough, that the bullet barely-”

“Blood was everywhere. Splashing, flowing, bursting. But I took the bullet like a man, without a wince.” Jake crosses his hands on the chest, wiggling his eyebrows weirdly, sounding smug as hell and Amy can't wait to cut that off.

“That's because you passed out like the second you saw blood, Jake.”

“I'm gonna be honest with you, Peralta. When Amy first introduced me to you that night at the docks, before we infiltrated the ship-” Diaz starts in an indifferent tone but is interrupted by Jake's pleased voice.

“-Which you wouldn't have been able to do without my help, as you admitted tamely after-”

She shoots him a glare but doesn't stop her speech.

“-I thought you were just a goofy chucklehead, but now I'm sorry it crossed my mind. You're a good guy, Jake. And you did well working that case with Santiago.”

“Oh, don't get so touchy-feely with me, Rosa. It was obvious to me from the very beginning, that you and me were gonna become best pals, fighting crime.” He says cheerfully, throwing his arm on her shoulders, trying to give her a friendly side-hug and Amy smiles at the sight.

“Don't touch me.” The grim tone of Rosa's voice breaks the spell, and Jake obediently follows her order. Out of fear, probably.

“Yes, ma'am.”

“So, you two met working that case at the docks?”

The dreadful (for Amy at least) culmination point of the evening had arrived and Teddy finally met Jake. 

Amy started seeing Teddy again a few weeks ago, just before the end of her case with Jake. They've been on a couple of dates 1.5 year before, after spending a lovely weekend on a police codes training camp, but them living on the opposite parts of New York didn't help the feeling to bloom and it somehow died naturally. But she met him again recently, visiting a nearby precinct and was happy to find out he had been transferred.

(Though she has to admit - that feeling of excitement has faded out a bit since she found out he talks about pilsners way too often.)

“Yes, Killer-Whale-Operation.” Jake's quick to fall into a comfortable conversation with Teddy but Amy's not surprised - Jake is just very easy to talk to. She pinches him under the table though, at his mention of the dumb name he came up for their case.

“And you didn't know each other before?”

Both Jake and Amy shake their heads in unison as if they’d been practicing.

“Wow, this is really amazing! Seriously, I've worked my share of cases during many years of duty and not once did I have a partner with whom I had such... chemistry!” Amy wonders for a second how weird it is for her boyfriend to mention with an excited smile on his face the chemistry his girlfriend has with another man, but shoves the thoughts out of her mind. She's just happy they're bonding. “Though I have to admit - I also have never shot my partner!” Teddy laughs wholeheartedly at his own joke, and Jake smirks, but Amy assumes it's not a reaction to the joke itself, rather it’s him being amused at the whole situation - probably knowing she didn't find her boyfriend's remark funny at all.

“So, you were Amy's man-on-the-inside, right?” Teddy prompts once he calms down from the laughter and Amy's heart warms a little seeing her precious boys trying their hardest to maintain some kind of conversation, despite them not having anything in common except her.

“Yeah, you know, running around at night with guns and a camera, chasing criminals, trying to catch them red-handed committing crimes - that's what I do in my free time.” Jake's ego was about to jump off the roof, so Amy decides to cut in.

“Well, that's an exaggeration, of course. It's true, Jake has been a very reliable source of information on this case, given he's been the front-row witness of the illegal drug smuggling through cargo ships, but there has never been a need for him to run around with a gun.”

“But I did it anyway.” There it is, that smug smile appearing on Jake's giant mouth again. 

And yes, he did run around with a gun. And he did many more reckless things while working the case with her, but if she's being honest with herself - she wouldn't have made it without him.

“And what do you do as a sailor? I mean, what are your duties and responsibilities?” 

Amy remembers when she asked Jake the same question, late at night, when they were trying to come up with a plan for Jake to infiltrate the shady businesses going on in the various harbors that the vessel he'd been working on has been docking for the duration of his contracts. She needed to know the characteristics of Jake's job as a sailor in order to come up with optimal procedures of his role as her link.

“Well, my main responsibility is to prevent the vessel from drowning.” Amy chuckles quietly and it seems that only because of her reaction that Teddy gets it's a joke, because his laugh comes out a bit delayed. “I started just as a pushover, doing all the dirty jobs as cleaning the toilets and so on. But then, after some time and a couple of special training sessions, I got higher in the ranks and now I'm senior chief petty officer. My main duty is to take care of the load but sometimes when it's needed, I also work in the control room. 

“Oh, so you're an officer like Amy and I were!” The smile on Teddy's face is sincere, Amy knows it, but she's afraid Jake may take this as a jab.

“Not really. The ranks on civilian ships aren't equal to those in the military. Their only purpose is to show the hierarchy on a current sail.” 

An uncomfortable silence falls upon the peculiar trio, and Teddy decides to break it in the worst way possible.

“You know, Jake - you would make a great cop. Has it ever crossed your mind to join the force?”

Oh no. That's what Amy's been worrying all day might happen, and it did. She can see the smile on Jake's face falter for the first time tonight, his gaze becoming harder and the way he visibly swallows.

She needs to get Jake away from here as soon as possible, before Teddy awakens some deeply hidden demons of her best friend's past.

“It's been my dream since I was a kid.” Jake's voice is weirdly strained and seems deeper than usual. “But the day I was supposed to send my papers to the academy, my mum lost her job, and since my father left us when I was little, there was nobody else to be the provider for the family. I needed a job, and one that was available as soon as possible, and they always need people on the cargo ships. And the money turned out to be good enough for my mum not to be forced to work double-shifts anymore so it kind of... stuck.” He washes his statement down with a big sip of his beer and Amy wonders whether the slight frown that appears on his face for a second is caused by the bitterness of the drink, or the words.

The way Jake states the facts, only partly describing the events from 7 years ago, the indifference evident in his tone, as if he was telling a story he didn't live for himself, for some reason makes Amy's heart sink. It doesn't clench the same way it did, when Jake had told her about his family for the first time, not sparing her any details and there are no tears prickling at her eyes now, but any reminder of him giving up his dreams in order to help his mother, the only family he has, always makes her extremely sad.

“Jake, I think Charles and Genevieve have arrived. Let's go say hi. Gonna get back to you later, Teddy.” 

The first time Amy heard about Charles was when Jake brought her a jar full of sauerkraut Charles has made by himself, in order for her to try it with him. Jake was scared he was going to get food-poisoning and die, without anybody realizing it. The sauerkraut was disgusting and they threw away the whole jar - closing it before doing so, preventing the smell of it from killing anybody nearby. After that, they’d ordered some pizza to kill the awful aftertaste of it, and Jake told Amy how Charles was the first person on the ship he was contracted on that he had befriended. 

Jake was a bit down one night, the first time out at the sea and Charles being the chef on the vessel, offered him some self-made cookies, claiming they're the best for a gloomy mood. That's how this beautiful friendship had started between the two sailors, though Amy sees it more as Boyle being obsessed over Jake (but knowing all the same, how much her friend appreciates Charles' presence in his life). 

“Wow, Amy - you're such a good shooter. It won't even leave a mark!” Amy's aware Charles means it as a compliment, but on the other hand she dreads that if anybody else brings up her shooting Jake again this evening, she's going to burst. She's been doing well all evening, ignoring most of the comments, using the calming techniques the NYPD psychologist - that Terry, her Sergeant, insisted she visits - taught her, but everybody's got their own limits. And Amy's close to reaching hers. 

“Who's this guy?” Charles points at Teddy with a frown on his face. 

“It's my boyfriend.” Amy states matter-of-factly.

It’s also worth mentioning at this point that Amy has recently discovered a new addition to Boyle’s obsession over his friend - him being certain Jake and Amy are perfect for each other.

“Boyfriend? Why do you need a boyfriend, when you have Jake?” 

Thankfully that's when Gina decides to make her great entrance, saving both Jake and Amy from answering Charles' question, filled with the awkwardness of the things Amy might not be ready to admit - even in the privacy of her own consciousness.

“So, Amy. What are your new duties as a detective in the NYPD?” Genevieve asks with a polite curiosity once they're all seated at one of the booths.

“Yes, is there anything in the schedule besides shooting my best friend, or is it all you do on a work day?” Gina's squeaky voice goes straight to Amy's heart, shattering it to pieces.

“Gina.” The warning is obvious in Jake's tone but it doesn't stop Linetti from glaring at Amy with a challenge.

“Ok. That's it. This is qualified information, but I don't care anymore. The only reason I shot Jake was because a man was holding a gun to his head, and using him as a human-shield. And I knew this guy was capable of firing that gun, and I wasn't gonna let him do it. It was my best shot, and I took it.”

“Nice word-play, Ames! Oh, and I'm so glad we're past the point where you’re not comfortable enough to joke about this!” The beam on Jake’s face is sincere but his eyes give away his nervousness.

She just rolls her eyes at his attempt to cheer her up and waits a bit, till the spotlight is no longer on her, to go over to the bar and order that damn drink already.

Amy’s friendship with Gina had kind of a rough start with Linetti making constant jabs about Amy’s whole being. At first Santiago was taking it very personally but spending time with both Jake and Gina - whose attitude for life is way more relaxed than other people’s in Amy’s life - made her realize that sometime she can turn out a bit high-strung. Besides, after some time she had begun to see right through Gina’s act, coming to a conclusion that’s just the way she interacts with people and it made becoming friends with Linetti much easier. And Amy really wanted to befriend Gina. Linetti is basically family to Jake, growing up with him and seeing his Grandma’s apartment as her second home. Always protective of him as if he was her little brother and ready to goof around whenever he pleases, taking the role of a little sister. Gina is a sibling Jake’s always wished for. 

That's why her words stung. 

“Ames, you know they're only joking.” The tapping of Jake's crutches announces his quick approach but she doesn't turn around just yet, taking the shot she ordered out of bartender's hands.

“Gina wasn't joking, Jake.” She's on the verge of tears - this evening turned out to be even more stressful than she anticipated - so she breaks her resolution for tonight and swallows the burning alcohol with one big sip.

“Well... Gina is a bit sensitive when it comes to my well-being, but she's also well-aware you saved my life putting that bullet into my leg. And I think you were a real badass that night in the warehouse, detective Santiago.” He cracks her a sly smile, knowing how to get through to her.

“Are you sure you're not angry with me?” Amy looks deeply into his soft brown orbs, hoping he'll take this as seriously as this matter is to her. And thankfully he does.

“Ames.” He starts in a gentle tone, grabbing her shoulders gently and positioning her right in front of him. “This is the last time we're talking about this, okay? I don't have _any_ regrets regarding the case we've worked together. And neither should you. We're the best team there is, and I'm happy for whoever gets to be your partner on the field, because you're the best they can get. I mean it, Ames.”

“I'm gonna miss having you as my partner.” The words just find their way out of her chest without her meaning them to.

“Aww, you big pile of mushy feelings.” His smile becomes even more goofy and he squeezes her shoulders in a reassuring manner. “Hey, think of it as an upgrade - now you're having me as your friend.”

The huge grin on his face is contagious and Amy feels her own beam tugging at her lips, hearing him say those words.

“Yeah, that's corny, Peralta.” She nudges his chest playfully, feeling all better already.

“Oh, you know you wanted it, Santiago, you big softie.”

“Title of your sex tape.”

“Aaaaand that's a self-burn, ladies and gentleman!”

He embraces her in a side-hug, tugging her towards the center of the bar, and Amy realizes for the first time how much harder it's going to be to have him away from home, when he needs to go back to the seas, now that they are the best of friends. 

~~~*~~~

_  
**Jake** 6.31 PM_

_i miss sal's pizza already_

_**Amy** 6.42 PM_

_Jake, it's been less than 24 hours since you last ate it. Besides Charles' cooking is way better than pizza from Sal's (even tho his cooking is rather... exotic I'd say)_

_**Jake** 6.45 PM_

_DON'T YOU DARE DIMINISH THE GREATNESS OF SAL'S PIZZA_

_**Jake** 6.47 PM_

_i'm gonna send you one reason a day to love sal's pizza_

_**Amy** 6.50 PM_

_Oh God, it's going to be long 3 months..._  


~~~*~~~

She has keys to his apartment now. And she got them in a rather offbeat way.

It all started with a plant. A plant she gave Jake as a “welcome-home” gift after his stay at the hospital.

“You know it's good to have plants in an apartment, cause they provide you with freshly made oxygen.” She said it with a proud smile, happy she contributes to her friend's faster recovery. 

She has a lot of different kinds of plants at her own place and she was almost indignant when she found out Jake didn't own even one of them. So she provided him with one that is not too hard to grow.

She realized how stupid this idea was 3 days after Jake left for another transatlantic contract, the first time after his leg got better. 

_  
**Amy** 7.20 PM_

_Omg, Jake, what about your plant?!_

She texted him as soon as she came to this dreadful realization. He's not home for the most part of the year. It's going to be impossible for him to keep a plant alive.

She got the response immediately, followed by a countless number of different emojis.

_**Jake** 7.22 PM_

_lmaooooo I was wonderin how long it's gonna take you to get it. But you're a smart girl so the plant isn't probably dead yet. I left keys for you at mrs. malinowski's. take good care of my plaaaaaant_

So now, she goes over to his apartment every week to fulfill her obligation. And she does it with great pleasure - a feeling of pride of being worthy to have keys to Jake's apartment.

~~~*~~~

It's only the second week of Jake's first leave after his recovery and Amy is already depressed. She doesn't even dare to think it's going to be another 9 horrendous weeks till she sees him again in person.

She sits on her couch with a loud thump and opens her beer. Amy usually doesn't drink beer in solitude but today the longing had become unbearable. In moments like this, she liked to go back to those good times when Jake was still recovering. They would spend almost every free night together, either watching movies or just hanging out. When Jake's leg got a bit better he started joining Nine-Nine squad's after-work drinks, sometimes even with Gina accompanying him. During that time they bonded a lot.

Amy looks at the label on the bottle and suddenly she remembers the last time she drank that particular kind of beer. It was some time at the end of Jake's recovery and he came over to crash on her couch and slowly sip beer, with some random tv show playing in the background. 

It was the night Amy heard about Sophia for the first time, she reminisces with a hint of bitterness. 

Now that she looks at the bottle and thinks about it, it was probably the beer that made her bold enough to ask the question.

_“So... is it true what they say about sailors?”_

_He does this funny thing he does with his brows whenever he gets curious or confused - at first there is a frown appearing on his face, then his left eyebrow goes up demanding some further explanation._

_“You know... that they have a girl in every seaport?” suddenly, ripping off some small pieces of the label on the bottle gets very interesting for Amy, as she turns her gaze away from Jake hearing him chuckle. She can also feel heat rising up her cheeks._

_“I wish.” he almost snorts. Then turns very serious out of nowhere. “To be honest though, I really don't. I'm not like my father.”_

_“Of course, Jake. I know this. I'm sorry for even - “_

_He doesn't let her finish, buried deep in his thoughts._

_“But, answering your question, I'm sure there are sailors like that.”_

_There is a moment of silence between them and Amy finds it a bit suffocating. She opens her mouth to share the latest gossip about Rosa's mysterious girlfriend in order to change the topic (she didn't expect to be as hard for her as it turned out to be), but Jake beats her to it._

_“There is one girl.”_

_Amy feels a pang of pain somewhere in her chest. She prefers to think that it was because she was upset he didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her sooner, rather than her being jealous over some girl in Europe Jake likes to come back to._

_“Who is she?” Amy tries her hardest to make her voice sound normal and forces herself to give Jake a sincere smile._

_“She lives in London. But she's American. Actually she's a Latina, like you.” Amy isn't sure if that piece of information makes her feel better or worse. “Her name is Sophia.” He twirls the remains of his beer in the bottle and takes a big sip. What sparks Amy's curiosity is that he doesn't sound too happy talking about this mysterious woman._

_“If I'm crossing some boundaries just-”_

_“No, no, it's fine. We're friends.” Jake gives her the most beautiful and genuine Peralta grin before continuing in a more gloomy mood. “It's just that it's complicated.”_

_“Talk me through.” She almost whispers in the softest tone she can muster._

_And so he does. He tells her how they met - by Tinder. He was bored and in a foreign country with a crew he didn't know that well and some of the guys convinced him it's worth a try. The rules were known from the very beginning - no strings attached, just sex. But after the act they actually started talking and Jake discovered that not only is she beautiful (to Amy's dismay) but also smart and funny. At the end of his stay in London, he asked her if there was any chance for them to maintain some kind of relationship. And she laughed at him._

_**“I'm not a Penelope, Jake.”** Were Sophia’s exact words, which were about to crush Jake’s heart. As soon as he got the meaning behind them, that is._

_“Who makes a reference to Greek mythology when rejecting someone, Amy?! I had to google it to know what she means by that!” And Amy, being the bookworm that she is, knows exactly what Sophia meant by it - she was telling him she's not the kind of girl to wait patiently for a man to come back to her (the way Penelope did, expecting her husband to come back from a long journey far away from home)._

_And even though it broke Jake's heart, he accepted it and they made a deal that is still on - whenever Jake's in London, he'd come over, they'd share a couple of jokes, have sex and then Jake would go back to the hotel._

__  
Amy remembers vividly how her heart was breaking more and more during his story, seeing how much it affected him. Knowing the story of his father, she can only imagine how bad it hurt him being rejected by this woman. Not being worth enough to be waited for.

Amy remembers also how she wanted to tell him that she'll always be there for him and that she loves to see him coming back. The regret that she didn't find the courage to voice her thoughts seems now exceptionally bitter. 

To drown out the annoying thoughts that haunt her, she plays the episode of _“Friends”_ where Phoebe gets a chicken pox during the time her lover - who is an officer in the navy - comes to the city. She doesn't know why but she finds herself watching this episode often during Jake's absence, but she also knows she won't stop doing this, so she wraps herself in one of her friend's flannels she “borrowed” from his apartment and focuses on the screen.

She ignores all texts from Teddy that night.

~~~*~~~

_**Jake** 0.43 AM_

_whatcha doin?_

_**Amy** 0.49 AM_

_Working._

_**Jake** 0.51 AM_

_isn't it like 1 am in nyc? havin trouble solving a case without my help? ;)_

_**Amy** 0.52 AM_

_Actually if you could come up with a motive for a person to kill her favourite baker in the city, I'd be really grateful._

_**Jake** 0.53 AM_

_lmaooo maybe he started baking for some other woman hahahah go home Santiago you workaholic_

_**Amy** 3.47 PM_

_Jake Peralta, you're a genius when it comes to this sheet-related murder (title of your sex tape)._

_**Jake** 4.21 PM_

_and good day to you too, Amy Santiago. yes i've been well lately, thank you for asking. it's been rather uneventful, again thanks for the concern. and i'm happy i could be of some help :)))_

_**Amy** 4.25 PM_

_:) sorry, got caught up in this case. How have you been? :)_

__

~~~*~~~

That particular Saturday morning turns out to be a very hard one for Amy Santiago, who wakes up in a bed that is not her own. In a shirt that is not her own. A shirt that underneath of is only her underwear. A shirt that she recognizes with dread as Jake's. 

She sits up straight and the movement causes the pile next to her to growl in discontent.

“Easy, woman. Let the man get some sleep.”

“Jake? What's going on?” her voice must show the anxiety she's feeling, because Jake turns around to face her with an exasperated sigh. She knows he hates to be woken up earlier than anticipated. But she needs answers, and she needs them now.

“You don't remember, do you?” he chuckles quietly, sitting up next to her (very close, actually) and runs his hand down his face, probably to get rid of the remains of drowsiness.

She thinks for a moment trying to picture some of the events.

She came over to Shaw's with Rosa straight from work, after working late on a case. Normally she'd go home and throw herself on her bed, asleep the moment her face would touch the pillow. But not that night - that night she was eager to see Jake, who'd come home the night before and she still hadn't found the time to greet him properly. 

He was sitting in their favourite booth with a beer in hand, laughing loudly with Charles and Gina, but the moment he saw her approaching, he stilled for a moment before storming up to her to give her a bear hug. She melted into him with a big grin on her face, happy he's home already.

And then the drinking began.

She swallowed her first beer in almost one sip, relishing in the way the cold beverage tended to relax her muscles. Jake was in the middle of telling them a funny story that happened during his stay in Brisbane but the only thing she'd gathered from his story were his lips and his eyes sparkling with joy and the words “koalas” and “water”. Truth be told, she had no idea what his story was about whatsoever. 

For her second drink she ordered a colorful cocktail, that Gina convinced her to try. It was sweet and strong. The worst combination for a tired person, whose last meal was a salad 6 hours ago. 

They were standing at the bar, Gina sipping her drink through a straw.

“Gina, don't you care at all about the whales?” Amy asked, earning a frown from Linetti.

“Geez, girl. Tone it down. You're gonna scare off all the best targets.” she pointed at some shady looking guys at the end of the counter. Amy squinted, disgusted a bit and left to join the others at their table.

Jake bought her the 3rd drink. It was soury with a tinge of sweetness and Amy noted it wasn’t as strong as the last one. She dragged him afterwards to the old jukebox, that no one uses anymore, to dance a little to the most silly song from the 80s. One of those songs where everyone knew the rhythm, but rarely the title. She recalls there was a lot of wiggling elbows, dorky dance moves and laughter. 

The setting around her 4th drink was rather weird. When she came back from the bathroom, everybody was sitting at the table and a single shot was in the center in front of them. And they were awfully quiet, Amy noted. They were tensed in a weird kind of way and there was excitement hanging in the air. Rosa was smirking, Gina was rubbing her palms with a mischievous look on her face, Charles was fighting off a grin that was starting to show despite his attempts to hide it by biting his lip and Jake wasn't looking at her, playing nervously with his fingers.

“So Amy, ready for drink number 4?” Gina prompted.

“I don't know if that's a good idea, I already feel kind of dizzy.”

“See Gina? Amy's got enough.” Jake shot Linetti a stern look and that spiked Amy's interest.

“What's that supposed to mean? You don't think I can hold my liquor?” she grabbed the glass and without thinking further she swig it. It burned like hell. She sat heavily next to Jake looking at him defiantly. “That oughta teach you a lesson.” 

And then, everything went blank.

“Well, I definitely cannot say I remember last night's events vividly.” she feels her cheeks go warm and the way their shoulders touch makes her hold her breath.

Jake starts describing what happened after Amy's 4th drink had been swallowed. And Amy can tell he's having way too much fun with this. Apparently, the tequila shot made her hit on Rosa and Jake finds it very important to mention it looked kind of hot. Her cheeks burn. 

He tells her how competitive she got after the 5th drink and how she claimed she was a professional bar dancer, climbing the counter. And of course, she had to slip. And on vodka, to make things worse. Fortunately, Jake and Rosa caught her just in time before her head made an impact with the wall. But this little accident didn't stop Amy from continuing to reach her goal - eventually, Jake had to carry her back to the booth.

“You were wriggling like crazy. It was the most adorable sight.” The shade of red on Amy's cheeks turns even darker hearing his laugh. 

Apparently to ease the pain of failure, Amy got her 6th drink - that's when the loneliness came. Now that he tells her about all this, she can remember some moments from last night. She braces herself for more embarrassment to come (because she can now remember her talking about Teddy) but, to her surprise, Jake doesn't give her many details and excitedly goes straight to drink #7. 

“Oh, but this is not the best part. When I went to pay for the drinks Gina made you swallow one more shot, I got there too late unfortunately to stop that from happening. When we got to the cab you literally fell asleep on me. I wanted to take you to your place but couldn't find your keys - yes, I know you have a special, hidden pocket for your keys and I feel offended that as your friend I still don't know how to get to it.” Amy can't help but smile softly. He knows her so well. “Anyway I gave the driver my address. And when we got here it turned out a special guest made an appearance - 7 drink Amy” Amy's eyes widen in shock. “And you'll never guess what her thing is. I was so in shock.” His eyes are sparkling from the excitement and amusement.

“Oh God, what humiliating thing have I done?” she asks, seeing the devilish smile on Jake's face.

“Well... to your information, 7-drink-Amy gets very hot. Like really hot. And I think that knowledge could be very convenient - whenever you feel cold, all you have to do is engulf 7 drinks and there you go, all warm and cozy.” She squints her eyes - he's up to something. “So warm and cozy, you felt the need to start undressing in the middle of my bedroom. Just imagine my confusion.” 

There is still a grin on Jake's face but his eyes are attentive, watching closely her reaction, which is her hiding her face in her hands. She's now awake enough to remember the situation. The single thought of it makes the content of her stomach go up her throat in awful embarrassment.

_As soon as they enter Jake's apartment, he goes straight to his bedroom and Amy follows him, stumbling a bit. And she starts to sense the heat, which is weird ‘cause she knows for a fact that Jake, being always warm, doesn't spend much money on heating and she even has a spare sweater hanging at his door in case she gets cold. And it's hard for her to imagine being cold, feeling so hot right now. Seriously, what's wrong with that heater?_

_The heat is now beyond bearing, it feels as if her whole body was on fire, she can feel her face getting hot ... and not just because of the thought of her standing in Jake's bedroom at 2 am, looking at him making his bed for **her**. _

_Suddenly the many layers of her pantsuit become unbearable, so she decides to get rid of them._

_The blazer is the first thing to go, as Jake puts away some dirty clothes that were lying on his bed. Next, she gets rid of her tight and oh, **so** uncomfortable pants. Jake is brushing crumbs off the covers, still blissfully unaware. And the moment she throws her shirt in some random corner of Jake's room, he turns around to face her._

_“What the fuck, Ames?!” He shouts in horror, his eyes wide._

_“It's just so hot in here, isn't it?”_

_He starts breathing heavily, rooted to his place. And then she can see it. The blush. It's creeping up his neck and a second later his cheeks are adorably pink. She tilts her head a bit in inquiry. He shakes his head and takes off his shirt quickly in order to throw it at her. He turns away from her with a strained neck and clenched jaw. She smirks, thinking his profile looks very attractive in this dimmed light._

_She muffles up in his shirt before jumping on his bed and cuddling up her cheek in the pillow, which smells delightfully of Jake._

__

“I feel so stupid.” the voice is muffled by her hands still covering her face.

“Hey, don't feel stupid. I felt flattered. I think you were the first girl ever to undress so willingly in my bedroom.” She snorts, not being able to stop herself from laughing at his attempts to cheer her up. “Oh come on. Show me that smile.” He leans over and takes her hands in his, pulling them gently away from her face. 

His grinning face shows to her and her own beam grows even bigger. Suddenly though it falters, her feeling a very disturbing movement in her stomach.

“I think I'm gonna be sick.” And she rushes to the bathroom just in time not to puke on Jake's bedroom floor.

An hour later, as Jake's eating some bagels he went to get (while Amy had still been suffering from too much alcohol in his bathroom) and she's drinking tea he made for her, the topic of Teddy comes up.

“Is everything okay between you and Teddy?” Jake asks tentatively paying all of his attention to the food in front of him.

She shrugs, not really knowing the answer.

“I guess. Why?”

“You seemed pretty upset last night just before you asked me to take you home. You said you don't want to be stuck your whole life in a suffocating relationship.”

It appears that 6-drink-Amy gets not only lonely, but also pretty honest with herself.

She sighs loudly, realizing Jake of all people is now aware of her biggest secret. That her relationship is probably a big disaster.

Amy doesn't reply right away, causing an awkward silence to fall between them. 

“I really don't know what to say.”

“It's okay. Just so you know, I'm always here for you when you need me. Even if I'm thousands of miles away.” He adds after a moment with a soft smile.

And just like that she smiles back, feeling calmer already.

“So, you have a crush on Rosa, huh?” He prompts with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows and the conversation takes a light-hearted turn again.

It's only the day after she realizes he never told her how he ended up laying next to her in bed. Not that she minds it happening.

~~~*~~~

_  
**Amy** 9.59 PM_

_Drinking at Shaw's isn't as fun without you here :( nobody wants to dance with me_

_**Jake** 10\. 06 PM_

_sorry to hear that 3-drink-amy i wish i was there too :(_

_**Amy** 10.54 PM_

_What's your view on threesomes?_

_**Jake** 10\. 59 PM_

_hahahahahah omg go home 4-drink-amy before someone takes advantage of you_

_**Amy** 11.01 PM_

_Rosa says she's gonna keep all the creaps away_

_**Jake** 11.02 PM_

_AMY SANTIAGO IS THAT A TYPO?????????_

_**Amy** 11.02 PM_

_creeps*_

_**Amy** 11.03 PM_

_it was the autocorrect!_

_**Jake** 11.04 PM_

_sure ;)_

_**Jake** 11.14 PM_

_text me when you get home_

_**Amy** 0.12 AM_

_im jhgipmner_

_**Jake** 0.14 AM_

_???_

_**Amy** 0.23 AM_

_she's tucked into bed. she wouldn't shut up about you and told me to text you she's home. also she said something about your butt being cute. gross. Rosa._

_**Jake** 0.26 AM_

_awwwww Ames, your butt is not so bad as well ;*_

_**Amy** 9.54 AM_

_I hate Rosa._

__

~~~*~~~

With Jake being gone to the sea, she finds herself again in his apartment in order to water the plant (and maybe, just maybe, to ease the longing a bit by being at his place that is so full of things that scream “Jake Peralta's property”).

She washes up some dirty dishes Jake left carelessly in his sink ( _“How many times do I have to remind you that when leaving the apartment it should be all cleaned up?”_ Amy texted him the moment she came in and as a response she got a selfie of him wearing a sad-puppy face with a caption “Till the end of time?...”, she smiled despite the irritation) when she hears somebody struggling with the key at the other side of the front door.

“Who is it?” she asks warily, putting her hand in the spot her gun normally would be.

“Who are _you_?” The door open and show the silhouette of no one other that Karen Peralta. “Oh, if it isn't detective Amy Santiago, the woman who shot my one and only son?”

Amy blinks rapidly, a bit taken aback by the greeting.

“I'm sorry, I came to water the plants-”

“You mean that one plant that Jake got from you?”

“...yes. But he left me the key...”

“Oh I know.” Amy gives her a puzzled gaze “Jake told me, so that I don't have a heart attack seeing you in his apartment.”

The animosity she senses from the mother of one of the most important people in her life sends the levels of Amy's anxiety up to the roof.

“I should go now.” Amy states eventually, reaching for her coat.

“Are you in a rush or something? I'd love to chat.” Karen hangs her own jacket on the hook and gives Amy a look that tells her it's not arguable.

So without much eagerness, Amy makes them tea so that they can have this little “chat”.

When the hot beverage is ready, steaming in front of them, Amy thinks this is the most awkward she's ever been, sitting here opposite Karen Peralta, the woman who's probably cursing Amy's relationship with her son.

“Just to clarify some things” Karen is the first to start the uncomfortable, as Santiago assumes, conversation. “you met my son, dragged him into a dangerous case, let him do some reckless things - that lead to you two solving your case - but also put him in a life threatening situation, and in order to get him out of it you shot him in the leg. Is that correct or am I missing something?” Mrs. Peralta's voice is calm but also there is a tinge of something frightening in it.

But Amy Santiago is not the kind of person to back off from a challenge.

“You're missing the fact that Jake did all of this willingly. It was actually him who had to convince me to do all this stuff.”

Karen smiles sadly.

“Yes, you're right.” She looks up at Amy but her mind is elsewhere. “And even though I wish I could be angry at you I just can't.” Amy frowns hearing Karen's words, not knowing where she's going with it. “Those whole 3 hours after he woke up in the hospital, he spent telling me about your “adventures”, as he likes to call it, and it was the happiest I've ever seen him.” 

Amy's throat clenches. She's struggling to stop the tears from pricking up her eyes at the memory of those horrible hours that Jake was in the hospital and she was not allowed to see him.

“I think I owe you an apology, Amy Santiago.” 

Amy's head shoots up in shock to settle her gaze on Karen's troubled face. She only now notices the wrinkles gracing her features. Those kind of marks come from the many years of worrying about a child. Amy knows this, because she sees the same wrinkles on her own mother's face.

“I'm not usually like this. Mean and bitter. But Jake is my only child, the only family I have, and I got really scared when I became so close to losing him. And I'm sorry I took it out on you. That I blamed you. Hell, I did it even today.” Karen gets quiet for a moment before adding “But it was wrong. I was wrong. And I'm sorry for it.” A single tear finds its way down Karen's cheek and is soon followed by another. And that causes Amy's own tears stream down her face.

“I'm sorry for putting your son in danger.” Amy feels as if a huge burden has been lifted from her shoulders when Jake's mum reaches for her hand and squeezes it gently.

“I'm thankful Jake has a friend such as you, Amy.”

Amy thinks that they're both a huge mess, missing strongly the same man in two various ways and yet for the same reasons. 

“So, do you know Jake wanted to go to the police academy before he got the job on the ship?” Mrs. Peralta asks when both women calmed down and have awkwardly wiped away all signs of the moment of weakness from minutes ago.

Amy nods eagerly, glad they've found a topic they can bond over.

Jake Peralta.

~~~*~~~

Amy decides to break up with Teddy after going out for a couple of drinks with Rosa one night.

She was in the middle of telling Diaz a funny story Jake texted her the day before when her friend stops her mid-sentence, asking her an unwelcome question.

“How's Teddy lately?”

And it catches Amy off guard so much she freezes with her mouth open, blinking rapidly. 

“He's... ummm... you know...” she tries really hard to come up with something, anything really to give Rosa but realizes the drawer in her brain with the “Teddy” label on it is empty and dusty (right next to the Jake-drawer, which is full of random information, anecdotes and other things she connects with her friend). That’s when it hits her - she hasn't heard from her boyfriend since last Wednesday and that was... five days ago. And she hadn't even noticed.

“I don't know. I really don't know, Rosa.”

There is an indifferent look on Diaz's face as she gulps down her bear.

“That's what I thought.”

She wonders why is it she and Teddy didn't work out. He's basically the perfect guy for her. It's been so great the first time they were going out, but now... it's as if something has changed. Maybe he changed.

“Maybe you changed, Santiago.” Rosa shares some of her wisdom with Amy, as the latter speaks the questions bothering her out loud.

And she's right. Amy no longer finds interest in discussing police procedures and work only. While being with Teddy she gets... bored. It hits her all out of sudden and hits her hard. She replays all recent memories with her boyfriend and can't stop herself from comparing them with those moments she shared with Jake. And with a tinge of bitterness and loathing directed to no other than herself she comes to the realization that she hasn't been fair to her boyfriend lately. That she's been focused on her friendship with Jake so much, she hadn't realized she no longer has feelings for Teddy. 

The breakup itself gets nasty as Teddy's visibly hurt by her lack of interest lately and the coldness emanating from her. That night she could really use a shoulder to cry on - because even though she hadn't been much invested in that relationship lately, it still hits her that she's all alone now, and there is yet another bond she wasn't able to keep from breaking apart.

And she knows exactly whose shoulder would give her the best comfort. 

~~~*~~~

__  
_**Jake** 11.45 AM  
i'm never letting Charles cooking a dish that is assumed local. he bought a fish at the market, being all giddy about it being the traditional one used for this plate. and guess what it went bad. _

_**Jake** 11.48 AM  
my tummy hurts :(((_

_**Amy** 11.56 AM  
Didn't he feel it reeking before going for it?_

_**Jake** 12.01 PM_

 _title of your sextape :))))))_

~~~*~~~

Amy is exceptionally jumpy today. There is just no way for her to calm down and focus on her tasks. And she knows exactly why - and that makes her even angrier.

Jake had arrived to London last night. 

The name “Sophia” had never been mentioned again after that one conversation on her couch and Amy can't tell whether it's a reassuring thing or not. It was just a few days ago that Amy admitted to herself she's jealous of this woman. She's been thinking about London for a week now and what could happen during Jake's stay there and it wasn't doing her any good. On a particularly hard night, when the sleep just wouldn't come and all the bad and gloomy thoughts would invade her consciousness, she even imagined a scene where this woman jumped into Jake's arms, proclaiming her love for him and begging him to stay in London with her. 

(Which would be a ridiculous idea - the apartment prices are way up the roof in London now, so that would be a very uneconomic thing of Jake to do if he wants to keep his savings. Unless... he moves in with her.)

And those are just a few examples of those depressing and - as she realizes the next morning, when the anxiety is not that arduous - ridiculous thoughts that had been haunting Amy till the late hours of night, when she finally found some peace and allowed herself to melt into Morpheus' arms.

(And the guilt the next morning was unbearable, because if such a thing was to happen she should be happy for Jake. He is her best friend after all. His happiness should make her happy.)

And now as she's sitting at her desk at work beating a random rhythm with her fingers nervously, waiting for Jake's answer to her normal looking text, where she asked him about his well-being, that she sent the moment she got to the precinct. And he still hasn't answered. And it's been 7 hours and 23 minutes. And still _nothing_.

She needs to smoke. Desperately. Now.

She gets to the roof unbelievably fast and is just about to lit the precious, soothing, yet shameful, cigarette when her phone rings.

She almost drops it seeing a picture of Jake popping up on her screen.

“Jake?” Amy tries her hardest not to sound overly excited. She goes for an excitement on a regular level, that kind of where a person's happy to hear an old friend's voice, who calls to catch up and not expecting that call. Except that's not the case here. She's been desperate to hear his voice for days.

“Ammmmmmmeeeees, heeeey!” his voice is super weird and it's hard for detective Santiago to put it the right place. “You picked up.”

“Of course. Why wouldn't I?”

“Because I'm pathetic and not worthy of love.”

“What are you talking about? Wait, Jake? Are you... drunk?”

“...no.” But the hiccup that follows tells her otherwise. 

“Jake, what is going on? Talk to me.” Amy has a really bad feeling about it and she needs to secure herself on the wall next to her. She takes a look at her watch - if it's past four here, it means it's around eight in London. How can he be so drunk so early?

Jake starts to drunkenly mumble some things about him being a loser and a naive idiot, and it's really hard for Amy to understand him but she catches a lot of the word “pathetic”. He also says something about everybody walking out on him and the hopeless cry that comes next forces Amy's chest to tighten in sorrow.

“Ames, I want to go home.”

“First, you need to go to the hotel.” She doesn't mean to be disrespectful of this breakdown of his, but Amy's priority right now is his safety, they will deal with the internal stuff when he's in his bed, safe and sound. “Do you know where you are?”

There is a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

“Jake, you know I can't see you.” She points out, assuming he's probably shaking his head right now. “You need to talk to me instead of just gesticulating.”

“Silly me. Awww, how did you know I was moving my head?” His tone gets playful and Amy likes to think there is also a tinge of affection.

“Focus, Jake. Tell me - is there any street sign with the name of the road or a bus stop or whatever I could locate you with? I'm gonna give you directions on how to get back to your room.”

It's not the smoothest conversation, as communicating with a drunk Jake Peralta is a challenge, but Amy is a smart girl and she knows him well enough to ask the right questions. When she hears him saying he's sitting in some dark alley next to a shady looking bar, that she later discovers is placed way too far from the city center for her liking, she feels the anxiety creeping up her back. She eventually sends him a map with some guidance and begs him to send her a message when he gets to the hotel. She's worried for the next hour and a half but doesn't dare to call him, afraid his battery might be low.

 _ **Jake** 5.58 pm  
Thank god you found him. I got him. I was worried sick. He's ok now. Charles _

She feels the sigh of relief with her whole body, from her toes to the top of her head. He's okay.

(That doesn't mean it's easy for her to get some sleep that night - wondering about what could've caused this mess is not the best thing to think about to calm down her nerves.)

When she wakes up in the morning, there is already a sweet text from Jake waiting for her, and she decides she's going to call him as soon as she gets home from work (she can't risk another long call at work today, she could feel Terry's questioning looks he was giving her the day before when she was taking care of Jake's safe route back to the ship).

Time sure flies at work for Amy, working a case and texting with Jake during small breaks she allowed herself to take, and Amy's glad it did, now that she sits comfortably on her couch, wrapped in Jake's hoodie and under a blanket (she gets really cold when lacking sleep, okay?).

She takes a few deep breaths before hitting the call button on her phone. It will be the first time for them to have a phone conversation during one of his departures (aside from his drunken call yesterday and a few calls that happened while they were working the case - but those were purely professional).

He picks it up almost immediately.

“Hi, Ames!” Jake's cheerful voice greets her and she's not even trying to fight that grin that shows on her face.

“Hey, Jake. Are you okay?...” She asks tentatively. They're good friends, it's obvious, but Amy senses she's entering an area they have trouble discussing.

“Yeah, I'm okay now. Thanks Ames. You know, for yesterday.” Amy knows he means it and is not able to stop herself from asking her next question.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

The silence that falls makes Amy tug the strings of Jake's hoodie nervously.

“No. Maybe. Yes.” He chuckles at his own indecision and after few sighs full of defeat he starts talking.

“Turns out I was her mistress. Mistrer? Is there even a word for it?” He asks rhetorically not really wanting an answer chuckling dryly. “She had a boyfriend this whole time.” So, this is about Sophia. Just like Amy was worrying it’ll be. “She was lying to him, to me. I get it - we had a purely physical relationship but... I just don't like to be lied to.”

“Jake, I really don't understand...”

“I went over to her apartment to finish the thing, whatever it was we had. I didn't even want to come in, so the moment she opened the door I started talking. And then a guy showed up behind her back asking ‘what's all this’. One thing leads to another and suddenly it turns out they were together before we even met.”

Amy has no idea what words could be the best comfort in this situation, knowing how hurtful it must have been for Jake to be treated like this.

“And I keep wondering... is that the way the women my father cheated on my mum with also felt - so bad about themselves?” The bitterness of his voice breaks Amy's heart.

“Jake, it's wrong to think that way. You had no idea.”

“I should've known. There were signs, Amy. What if I chose to ignore them?”

“No, Jake. Just no. Please don't think of yourself that way.” Maybe her voice is a bit too harsh given the situation but Amy can't let Jake blame himself for this.

“I just can't believe she turned out to be just like my father...”

“I'm so sorry Jake. This is really horrible.”

“And the irony of it - I went over there just to be fair. To be the good guy. I could've just send a text or just not say anything, it's not like I owned her an explanation. But no, I had to be a gentleman about it.” His tone gets more bitter with every word that he spits out of his mouth in anger. “To politely state this arrangement is off, say goodbye and part our ways like adults.” Amy bites her lip hurtfully not to ask why has he decided to finish it now of all times, but knows this is not the right time. “And to think this whole time she's been lying to me and her soon-to-be-fiance. Yes, he yelled this at her just before storming out of the building.”

“Ugh, this is awful. I really don't like her.” That last part kind of slips Amy's lips unconsciously.

Jake chuckles at her words and this time Amy actually hears a tinge of sincerity to it. But it ends too soon, with another depressed and heavy sigh coming from him.

“I was just a good fuck on the side.”

“Don't know if that makes it any better but...Title of your sex tape?” 

She doesn't really expect it, but her - rather bad - joke earns her a wholehearted laugh from her friend, and it makes her grin herself.

“Wow, you're really bad at sex tape jokes, Ames.”

“Made you laugh, so it served it purpose” She sticks her tongue at him despite knowing he can't see it.

Thanks to her lighting the mood a little, they start to talk normally, him showing interest in her latest case, her asking about Charles and Jake making even some jokes from time to time.

Suddenly though Jake asks a question that makes Amy suck in her breath audibly.

“How's Teddy?” 

“Oh. We... I broke up with him.”

Jake doesn't answer her revelation for a moment, Amy even looks at the screen checking if the signal didn't go out but soon hears him clearing his throat on his end of the line.

“Cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.” His voice is weirdly strained and changed in a way, it's hard for Amy to know what to think about it. “I mean, I'm sorry. When did it happen?”

“Couple of weeks ago?”

“What? And I only hear about it now?”

“Well it happened during that time you had no Internet and by the time you texted me back I've kind of already... moved on.

“Ames, that emergency lasted 4 days.” She can hear the grin on his face, him being clearly amused, wishing she'll be able to see it as well. “Was that what the texts you sent me were about? You know, the ones I thought six-drink-amy sent over?”

“I guess I was a bit sad at the time. But I'm fine now.”

The silence that follows lasts only a beat before Jake speaks again, using his adorably soft and comforting voice, that tickles Amy’s heart in the most adorable way.

“Good to hear it, Ames.”

The ambiguity of his last sentence causes a tingle in her stomach and she smiles to herself slightly. 

They avoid any other difficult topics that could've caused the flips of Amy's stomach (both positive and those less pleasant) for the rest of the call, just catching up and mostly falling comfortably into their banter, without making much sense. And Amy couldn't be more happy, she’d missed it greatly. Sending texts almost every day is nice, but she was really craving this last few weeks to hear his voice and get a better taste of his bubbling personality, than just through texts.

“When are you coming home?” She asks (as if she doesn't know he comes back in exactly 34 days), feeling their conversation is coming to an end.

“In a month, more or less.” It's been almost 3 months already since he left to travel through different ports of the shores of Africa and Europe and she has no idea how she'll handle another one.

The next thing that comes out of her mouth terrifies her greatly but there is no coming back, her mind incapable of controlling her voice.

“I miss you.” 

The beat of silence that falls heavily after her statement sucks the breath out of her lungs but she relaxes immediately hearing his gentle voice a second later, that sends a pleasant wave of warmth through her body.

“I miss you too, Ames.”

~~~*~~~

For the next month they talk on the phone at least once a week - it's a new routine Amy is very happy to work into her life. 

And it does weird things to Amy - it's great to talk to him, but paradoxically it makes her miss him even more. And that's why she decides to pick him up unexpectedly from the bay the day his ship is supposed to dock.

The moment the idea popped into her head she thought of it as brilliant, but now as she stands by her car in the bay she's starting to doubt her geniusness. She parked her car in a spot not too near to the ship but also close enough for her to see everything that happens next to the vessel. 

She finally comes to the conclusion it was stupid of her to come here, and pulls out the keys from her purse to sit back in the car and drive far away from her embarrassment but then she sees him emerging from a huge door in the dock with Charles. 

A moment later she can see Genevieve and Nikolaj coming over to them. It melts her heart watching the kid jumping vigorously into his father's arms. But there is also something else catching her attention. Jake is wearing a beard. And he looks damn good in it.

Amy's breath quickens and she focuses on shoving some scenarios that are inappropriate to picture a friend in at the back of her mind. It takes her a while to calm down her nerves and the moment she's back from her daydreaming Jake is waving the Boyle family goodbye, walking into the opposite direction of them.

Well if she came all the way here she can as well make use of it, so she quickens her pace to get to him as soon as possible. It's been too long.

“Need a ride?” 

Jake turns around immediately with mouth agape and eyes wide. The embarrassment she's felt vanishes the moment a huge grin breaks on his face upon seeing her.

“Ames? What are you doing here?”

He leans in to embrace her with his arm that's not occupied with holding his luggage and bag. She on the other hand takes full advantage of having both arms free, hugging him tightly around his chest.

“Came to get you. It was supposed to rain today.” They both know it's a lie, since the sun is not covered with a single cloud.

As they walk to Amy's car she can't stop smiling and Jake seems to have a similar condition. He raises his hand to scratch his beard and Amy wonders why such a simple gesture makes him look so hot right now.

“Man, if I knew you'd come to get me, I'd have shaved this thing off.” He says as they approach Amy's car and are about to open the doors.

“Why? It looks good on you.” She's absolutely certain she hasn't kept her blush from coming up her cheeks.

Even if Jake notices the redness on her face, he doesn't say anything - the smug smirk on his face with his single eyebrow raised being the only indication of his thoughts.

During the car ride to his apartment they fall into a comfortable conversation, and Amy doesn't even try to be subtle with the glances she steals in his direction.

What is she supposed to do? She really likes him in beard and it's not like it happens very often.

They get to his apartment and Jake is the first one to step in. He stops suddenly and Amy stumbles, landing with her nose between his shoulder blades.

“Ames” He tries to make it sound like a reprimand, but it's obvious he's stifling a laugh. Amy already knows what's this about and rolls her eyes. “You cleaned up again.”

She's only a little abashed when she makes an explanation.

“Only the kitchen and bathroom, I swear. I didn't even step into your bedroom.”

“Title of your sex tape!” He shouts from the entrance of said room. Not a second later she hears him laughing loudly and follows him to his bedroom to see what caused this outburst.

“I know why you stayed away from my bedroom - my unmade bed must've made you go crazy huh?” He's laughing and nudging her ribs playfully “A bed left unmade for over 3 months-” he puts his big and warm palm on her shoulder getting closer “I bet it must have been driving you nuts.” He bites his lip in order to stop himself from laughing, but Amy doesn't even pay attention to his teasing anymore - because he's close, and she can feel his breath on her cheek and he looks more appealing than ever, being so close to her after such a long time apart “I know you want it so bad.” 

Yes, she wants it bad. She wants him so, SO bad. Wait, what are they even talking about?

“Do it.” She finds his voice weirdly seductive, assuming that's not even his intention, since it’s his usual lighthearted tone. It must be the proximity then. “Do the bed.” 

The lips get away from his teeth's hold as a huge beam appears on his face. But Amy has no idea what's going on, rooted to her spot, melting into his gaze. It's been way too long since she had him so close. He must sense something's going on in her head right now, as his eyes lose that playful look, his gaze turning more affectionate.

Suddenly Jake breaks Amy from her reverie, grabbing her into a tight hug and kissing her temple.

“Feels good to be back.” She's buried into the crook of his neck when he says those joyful words and she hopes he can feel her big smile on his skin.

“Yeah...welcome home, Jake.” Her words are muffled because he tightens the hug even more and suddenly Amy has a feeling it got a little less friendly and a little more passionate, as Jake's nose glides smoothly from her temple closer to her ear, the feel of his breath tickling her titillatingly. The stay like that for a while before they untangle themselves from the embrace awkwardly. 

“I'm gonna make the bed.” Amy says quickly the moment they part, with her face heated up, making the best effort not to look in Jake's direction.

“Noice. Smort. I'm gonna... ummm... go freshen up.” His voice is hoarse and she doesn't even has a chance to take a glance at him, because he disappears so quickly.

Despite feeling flustered more than ever before, she's glad she decided to pick him up, she thinks as she smiles slightly to herself flattening his pillow.

~~~*~~~

She could get used to that, spending weekends with Jake. He came up with this idea, to go on a weekend getaway to the lake with their friends and to Amy's surprise everybody agreed to this idea, including Terry and his wife. They rented a cabin for the weekend in the wild, right next to the water and in Amy's opinion it was the best place to relax after a hard week. Especially with the company she's been left to enjoy her off-work time with. Gina and Rosa seem to really appreciate their time together as they disappear for the majority of the day. And the other two couples, since Charles took Genevieve with him, used the romantic setting to focus on each other as well, which left Jake and Amy alone to relish in the leisure time. 

And now as the day is coming to an end, and Amy watches the sunset with Jake at her side, she doesn't mind the slightest the absence of their friends. They spend most of the day in this spot, thanks to Amy who packed some food and blankets, making a spontaneous picnic of their own right by the lake but in some distance from the cabin. From this point they have the perfect view at the rocky shore on the other side and the sun hiding behind the hills far away from them.

Amy sits on the blanket, resting the weight of her body on her arms, catching the last rays of sun that day. Jake is lying on his back in a relaxed position, with his head propped up with his hand under it, when he breaks their comfortable silence.

“You know... I've been thinking recently and... I'm torn.”

Amy knows this tone - he's being at least semi-serious, so she turns her head away from the sun in order to give him all of her attention. She raises her brow at him, prompting him to continue.

“I love the open sea. I really do. But I don't love the job.”

“What kind of job would you love?” 

He tugs his lips in a twisted smile that doesn't make him look too happy.

“You ask as if you don't know.”

She sighs and makes sure her voice is gentle and steady.

“I told you before what I think about it Jake.” It's true, they talk about it a lot - while hanging out at her place watching TV shows, while watching action movies at his or when going over to Sal's for some pizza or when they go to eat pierogi at Amy's favourite Polish place. “I think you should apply for police academy. You'll be an awesome cop.”

“I'm too old to start a police career.”

“That is not true. And even if you're above the average age of going to the police academy it won't matter when you finish it and start doing what you love. Sure, it'll take some time before you get promoted to the range of detective” she knows that's his main goal “but to be honest - I think you'll get there sooner than I have.”

“Ha! Now I know you're saying all these nice words just to make me feel better - you'd never admit I'm better at something than you!” He means it as a joke, shooting her a grin but she only rolls her eyes and gives him a slight smile.

“I mean it, Jake. The only reason I got promoted is because _our_ case was a success. And the only reason for that is because I worked it with you.”

He raises to prop himself up on the elbow and Amy gets lost for a bit in the sight of him right next to her, looking a little abashed trying to hide his sheepish smile and looking down. He looks like the boy he'd outgrown many years ago, but Amy's glad she got to see a glimpse of that.

“And I'm saying this only this one time and don't even think of rubbing it in my face at every given opportunity-” she tries to sound intimidating but the smile that tugs itself on her lips gives her away “but you were the best partner I’ve worked with so far.”

“Is this my birthday already? You're so nice to me.” He suddenly straightens himself and puts his hands on his cheeks, opening his big mouth in a theatrical astonishment and Amy can't help but snort at his actions.

“You're a dork.”

He drops his hands back to his knees and sobers down a little from his goofiness, but there is still a hint of that beam she likes so much on him.

“Thanks, Ames. It really means a lot.” 

And Amy knows he's being actually honest and moved by her words, when he drapes his arms around her shoulders and pulls her close, dropping a kiss on her forehead. And instead of pulling away, he stays in place - and Amy's glad her face is buried in his chest, so he doesn't see the beet-red blush on her face. 

“Besides, whenever you feel like you don't belong at the academy, just think of my ex-Captain, CJ, who claims those 9 years he spent at the academy were some of the best years of his life.” She giggles into his shirt, savouring their little moment.

“Thanks, Ames. That’s reassuring.” His voice is dripping with irony but he’s not able to contain his own chuckle, as he pokes her right under her ribs, hitting the spot he knows well it’s where she’s most ticklish.

But, she thinks, it’s not like she can’t take a bit of tickling as the punishment for her teasing.

~~~*~~~

The month Jake's been home has flown by incredibly fast if you ask Amy. And they were supposed to have at least 5 more days to spend together, if it wasn't for the company to make him go away sooner. And what makes his leave even more awful, is that they've made plans for the day before the original date of his departure - she even took a day off to make it happen. (She didn't know what the plans were to be honest, since it was a surprise, but now it doesn't matter since they won't get to spend that time together anyway.)

Amy can tell Jake is really pissed off because of the sooner departure and he's not even trying to hide it. He has a deep frown on his face and his pace is so fast, Amy has to almost run to catch up with him as they walk in the direction of the ship. She does have shorter legs than him, and that makes it impossible to keep up with his long strides without running.

She offered to take him to the bay. It's Saturday, she's off work anyway. Besides, she really wanted to, and he apparently was very happy for her to make that offer if the slight smile and a quick hug he gave her, thanking her, was any indication of his thoughts.

Amy can see a group of people gathering near the vessel and she hears Jake grunting at the sight.

“I really don't wanna go.” 

During his stay, they'd talked a lot about his current job and plans for the future. After Amy suggested he goes to the police academy, and when Amy thought he's finally considering it an option, he got the call. And he's been grumpy ever since. It's not like he can just say no - there is a contract binding him to his responsibilities and it's not an easy one to resign from.

“I really don't want you to go, either.” She stops in her tracks, meaning every word.

He must sense it, because he stills as well, turing to face her.

“I know, Ames.” 

And right there, in that moment, Amy can no longer resist the urges of being close to him. So she steps closer, throwing her arms around his neck, pressing her body as close to his as possible. His hands encircle her body immediately and he nuzzles his face into her hair and neck. 

The hug is tight, but after a while of staying in this intimate embrace, Amy wiggles a bit in Jake's arms in order to turn her face in his direction. Feeling his warm breath on her cheek makes her go crazy and in the end, she doesn't really know who actually gave in when she finally feels his lips moving against her own. 

The kiss is sweet - affectionate but not without passion. Amy really melts into Jake's lips, aware it's the only fuel that will keep her going during the weeks to come without him at her side. The kiss takes a dangerous direction when Jake gives her lower lip a gentle bite and she runs her nails down his scalp towards his neck, which makes him respond with a soft groan from the back of his throat. They part, trying to calm down their heavy breathing. 

Amy's walking on air.

Literally, since only now she realizes, in their moment of heated passion Jake has raised her above the ground a little. He puts her down with a light chuckle and she really appreciates the blush gracing his features. The redness of his lips is also a sweet reminiscence of what have happened just seconds ago.

“I…” Jake hesitates for a second and Amy can swear she feels him slightly tighten his hold on her waist, where his palms are still left in place after their dazzling kiss. But soon his hands are gone and so is the moment, as he steps back with a small, but fond smile and the softest gaze. “I see you when I'm back.”

And she looks at him wandering off to do his job, giving her the last wave before disappearing in the small crowd in front of her. Even though she's sad he's leaving, she smiles to herself touching her lips.

Because it was not a goodbye kiss. It was a kiss full of promises of what's to come.

~~~*~~~

They never mention the kiss when talking on the phone. And those calls are even better than before as they video call each other now. Sometimes it's Amy who initiates the calls but more often it is Jake, who seems to be really eager to make contact with her. They usually talk about random stuff, like Jake asking questions about the advantages of one animal put to a fight against another ( _“If a swan was to fight a giraffe, who would win, Amy?”_ and she always tries her best to give those musings fair share of her mind _“I think I’d put my money on a swan, because of its ability to fly, you know.”_ ) but not once the topic of _the kiss_ comes up, the lingering gazes at the end of every conversation and biting lips being the only indication of them thinking about it. 

They're not so humble with the texting, though.

~~~*~~~

_**Amy** 3.45 pm_

_Holt invited me over to dinner!!! AT HIS HOUSE!_

_**Jake** 3.51 pm  
wow, that's like half a year earlier than your life-calendar predictions ;P_

_**Amy** 3.53 pm  
I KNOW_

_**Amy** 3.53 pm  
It's awesome_

_**Amy** 3.55 pm  
Omg, what am I gonna wear?_

_**Amy** 3.56 pm  
What kind of wine is it okay to bring? _

_**Amy** 4.12 pm  
Jake, I can't find my “Small talk topics to bring up with Captain Raymond Holt” binder!!! This dinner is going to be a disaster _

_**Jake** 4.15 pm  
you'll be fine, you're like the smartest person I know. about the wine - whatever one you eventually decide to buy I'd recommend drinking it before coming in, otherwise your nerves are about to give you a heart attack._

_**Jake** 4.18 pm  
as for the outfit advice you asked, I'm no Gina when it comes to that matters but... I, personally, like the red one on you. very much :)_

~~~*~~~

And even though they don't talk about what happened last time they'd seen each other, it's not like Amy doesn't think about it.

She does. Very often. Few times a day, actually. And when Amy thinks about it at night, lying alone in her bed, she lets the thoughts of Jake wander way beyond a single kiss.

She relishes in the warmth that spreads through her body at the thought of running her hand through his curls, or the sensation his lips may cause tracing wet kisses down her neck, or the grunts that would escape his lips at the touch of her hand in places she blushes thinking about. 

During those many nights, she thinks of making love to Jake - and she can't wait to make it happen.

~~~*~~~

_**Jake** 11.23 pm  
can't believe you are obsessing over a stupid movie so much hahah_

_**Amy** 11.24 pm  
Funny this coming from you, ‘Die Hard’ maniac. Besides, I know it's silly but the movie was so sweet and it's nice to watch to what extent a guy can go to sweep a girl off her feet, even tho I know those romantic comedies are massively unrealistic. _

_**Jake** 11.26 pm  
hey, I know how to sweep a girl off her feet_

_**Amy** 11.27 pm  
Oh, really? ;D someone's being exceptionally modest today_

_**Jake** 11.29 pm  
i'll show you when I'm back ;)_

~~~*~~~ 

And Jake's back for almost two weeks now and Amy's worried this “sweeping-her-off-her-feet” thing is out of date now. They've barely seen each other these past few days - Amy was working her fingers to the bone trying to solve a particularly tricky case and whenever she had a couple of hours off, Jake didn't have the time to meet. 

It was beginning to be frustrating and Amy started to actually worry that maybe she had misread the situation, and there wasn't anything going on between them. And those thoughts were haunting her until one evening, when Jake called her, all chirpy and giddy, asking if she's free that Saturday. So she's done everything in her power to be indeed free this Saturday (even if it meant cancelling dinner with one of her brothers).

And now as she waits for Jake to come pick her up, with a small bag waiting by the door - since Jake texted her the day before stating she may want to take some spare clothes (and didn't respond to any of her texts asking why) - she can't help but feel the nerves getting to her, twisting her belly and making her hands sweat. She knows why she's reacting this way but tries her hardest to convince herself that this is going to be like any other of their hangouts.

Except for the fact that maybe it won't be the same, because she never needed a change of clothes before. So there is a chance, this time will be different than those many days before they've spent together.

She hugs him tightly, when he comes to pick her up, and is happy to follow him to his car, trying to trick him into telling her where they are going.

It gets even more interesting when they exit the city but Jake's still not giving in any details regarding their trip. 

“Ames, in order to make this surprise even more spectacular, would you be willing to wear a blindfold? I know you get claustrophobic and have trust issues-”

“It's okay. And I don't have trust issues!”

“Says the woman who didn't let me to buy drinks for this trip, claiming I'm not gonna buy the right ones.”

“I just didn't want to be forced to drink blue beverages only, Jake. You're obsessed over blue food.”

“Hey, it's just mind-blowing they manage to make food SO blue, Ames.”

“Yeah, you don't wanna know how they do it.”

They park eventually but Amy knows even less than before because she's been wearing a blindfold for the last few minutes. Jake opens the car door for her and takes her hand delicately, securing her head as he helps her out of the vehicle. They walk for a while, him still holding her hand and Amy notes the ground is squishy.

“Okay, you may not like the surprise at first, but-”

“Just show me already!” Amy doesn't even try to hide the excitement in her voice and it makes Jake chuckle.

He takes the blindfold of her eyes and Amy sees a boat.

This is bad. Amy doesn't like boats.

She got traumatized as a kid, when her parents took the family for a trip on a ship and the weather got very bad and the boat started to rock hard, causing Amy to get sick. Very sick. Throwing-up-all-over-the-cabin sick. She hadn't stepped on a boat ever since.

“I know you don't like boats, but I think you only _think_ you don't like them. So in order to make the thought of sailing more appealing, I decided to give it a try on Charles' boat.”

“It's Boyle's?”

“Yes, it's the only thing he managed to win over his ex-wife in the result of their divorce.” Amy's heard some stories of Charles' former marriage and every one of them gave her unpleasant goosebumps.

“I don't know, Jake. What if I get sick and puke all over Charles' boat?”

“Then I promise I'll be the one to clean up the mess. Besides I thought to first spend some time in the bay, not even putting it into motion. What do you say? It would be the same as the time we went to that bar with Gina on the river.”

Okay, that's a good point. She didn't get sick that night, unlike Jake who carried the drinking way past his limit.

“Fine, we can try.”

“Great!” The way Jake beams at her and claps his hands in a victorious manner shows Amy he's really glad she said yes to this crazy idea. “Let's get the snacks from the car, I got hungry from the anxiety that you were gonna get mad at me.”

After an hour, Amy gets bold enough to ask Jake to put the boat into motion. Truth being told, she does it partly just to see the excitement in his sparkling eyes but she's also eager to share his passion for open waters. She really hopes she's going to enjoy it at least half as much as he does.

And she does enjoy it. A lot, actually. The way she can feel the wind in her hair, the views and the fact she doesn't get sick the slightest. Jake laughs the whole time, seeing her so enthusiastic about it but she manages to wipe the smug smirk of his face when she asks whether they can stay the night on the boat.

“I guess.” He plays with the band of his watch in a nervous manner and Amy can swear she can see his cheeks getting pink. “I was thinking to go to the nearby town for the night, but if you want to stay here... I'll be more than fine with that.” He smiles timidly at her and Amy wants him to kiss her so badly, but doesn't dare to do it herself.

They spend the night on the boat, not too far from the shore, close enough to make sure it's safe for them. And it surprises Amy how calm she is, despite the prospect of her spending the night on a boat, a vehicle she has no idea how to control. But Jake knows how to control that thing and that is all Amy needs to feel secure. The clear night sky full of stars, light breeze and quiet hum of waves makes it even easier for her to relax. 

“You know... I didn't bring you here just to help you overcome your fear of boats... there is also something else.” He says as they sit close to each other, nibbling on the peanuts that were left in the bag. “I wanted to celebrate something. With you.” Jake doesn’t look at her, his gaze focused on the open sea outstretching before them. He hesitates for a moment, with his mouth already open, looking for the right words to give her the news. “I quit my job. And I've been accepted to the police academy.” That’s when his eyes finally meet hers, him giving her a timid smile. “That’s why I’ve been so distant this past few days - I’ve been really busy with all the formalities and I wanted it to be a surprise for you. Given that you’ve been my #1 supporter with this whole going to the academy thing…”

“Oh my God, Jake! That is... it's... “ She can't find the words to tell him how amazing this is and how happy she is for him, but hopes that the beam on her face tells Jake all he needs to know. “It's truly amazing. I'm so happy for you.” 

And for herself as well, because it means he won't be away from home for the most part of the year.

In the moment of pure bliss, Amy has unknowingly grabbed Jake's hand and she becomes aware of it only because Jake squeezes it back affectionately. She's still grinning widely but her smile falters a bit, seeing him taking a deep breath, and she assumes that's not the end of revelations tonight. 

“Ames, I really like you. And I've wanted for something to happen for us... you know... romantic-stylez for a really long time. But part of the reason I didn't do anything about it was my job. But now that my job is no longer in the picture... would you like to-”

Amy knows it is very impolite of her to stop Jake's confession mid-sentence, but she hopes he'll forgive her and if him reciprocating her kiss so fiercely is any indication - yes, he will. The way she threw herself at him, with great force, caused Jake to lose his balance and he hit the ground hard with his back, but he doesn't seem to mind it, kissing her uninterruptedly with a smile tugging on his lips.

And they stay like this, melting into the pleasurable touch of their lips, with Jake's palms spread on Amy's back, as she lays on top of him and with only the sea being a witness of their affections, which soon turn more passionate and sultry.

The couple eventually gives in and lets the desire overcome them, after a long time of it building up inside of them (since maybe even the moment they laid eyes on each other for the first time and exchanged wistful remarks). 

They somehow manage to reach the cabin, stumbling over various items on their way there, Amy cursing the narrow passages on boats in between kisses, to which complaints Jake answers only with a low - and oh, so hot - chuckle and a light bite right below her ear. And the sound that escapes Amy, caused by his sensual action, surprises even herself.

They land smoothly on the bed, thanks to Jake securing the weight of their bodies pressed together with his arms, him hovering over her with a look on his face she’s never seen before. His eyes are dark but soft, focused but in a fond way, paying close attention to her responses to his touch.

And those responses are ones full of pure pleasure and satisfaction.

“Isn't it ironic that after all this time I've been literally living on a ship, I get to do _this_ on a boat for the first time, now when I'm no longer a sailor?” 

Jake's voice almost doesn't reach her ears, her being completely drown in the sensation his touches were bringing upon her. She grabs his curls in her fist and pulls him close, their lips touching once again that night.

“Jake, I'd really appreciate if you'd put this glorious mouth of yours to a better use.”

And he does. And he does it well.

~~~*~~~

These last few months have been hard for both Jake and Amy, as they didn't have much time for each other with Amy's career finally taking off and Jake going to the academy and having a part-time job at the same time. And even though they should have been used to being apart, since they had all this experience from the time Jake was still working as a sailor, it turned out to be way harder now that they were “grabbing each others butts” as Rosa would state bluntly. 

That's why, on the night of Jake's party organized by Amy herself in order to celebrate him graduating from the police academy, they can't get enough of each other. They're both dizzy but not even from the booze, and they laugh, they talk, they joke and they stare into each others eyes. A lot. At some point they don't notice the guests anymore or that some of them are passed out on the booth (who would have thought that such a big guy like Terry would be the first one to go, while such a little minx like Gina is still going strong and quite sober?). 

They sit at the far corner of the bar Amy rented for this occasion, her sitting on Jake's lap, resting her forehead on his, whispering some sweet words right to his soul. He holds her securely, caressing softly the skin on her thigh, listening to her intently, throwing in some cute comments now and then, getting adorable giggles and pecks on the lips in return. 

They're in their own little world, focused solely on each other but Amy manages to hear some familiar notes, but they seem to be far, far away. After a short moment she realizes it's the song _Enchanted_ playing from the speakers, and she knows it from the many times Jake insisted to play it. Because it's his favourite - even if he doesn't admit it openly.

“Wanna dance?” She whispers to his lips, parting from the sweet kiss they just shared.

“You know me so well.” That smile that appears on his face is exactly the one she fell in love with in the first place. 

Right. 

She is in love with this man.

And she has felt that way for some time now. Hasn’t had the opportunity to tell him that yet though... forever waiting for the right moment. And now as she sways lazily in Jake's arms, being so close their noses touch in a tickling way, admiring his soft smile and the most loving gaze, she knows this moment is as right as any other before. 

As the one when Jake made her a cake for her birthday himself, almost ruining her kitchen and being all cute about it.

Or when she took him on a _Lord of the Rings_ marathon (with the extended versions because he always complains how hard it is to find them online) and fell asleep on his arm during the middle of the second part.

Or when they were watching movies and TV shows on Netflix and falling asleep doing so.

Or when they were lying on the floor in front of his bed, tangled in bedsheets, taking in the feeling of utter delight their love-making has brought upon them.

Or when they had fought for the first time - him being tired after staying late at work, her getting frustrated of her anxiety - over the silliest of things, and then sat in silence that was dripping with tension, because even though they were upset they wouldn't even consider to leave the room in anger. 

Or when Jake brought her coffee to work in the middle of the night, after she called him to cancel their plans, because she had to solve this case of a missing person. 

Or when she didn't manage to solve the case and he spent the whole day in bed with her, as she was sniffling and crying into his shirt. 

And she could think of an infinite number of right moments to say those three words, if Jake's soft voice didn’t shake her out of her reverie.

“Ames.” 

She wanted to tell him for so long, but in the end she's not the one who gets the honour of saying it first.

“I love you.”

But she gets to be the first one to say _“I love you too.”_

~~~*~~~

They get married spontaneously after a month of being engaged. 

They're happy and they're in love and all they want is to celebrate their love with the closest family and friends.

Besides, there is a limited number of people Charles' boat is able to fit on it's deck.

That's why Amy worried a little her brothers may get upset with her for not inviting them to her wedding, but her father assures her that if any one of them has any problems with that they can talk to him - he'll show them some pictures. Victor and Camilla got the honour of standing in the first row, right next to Karen, to see how their daughter exchanges her vows to Jake Peralta, committing herself forever to this man. The only people who get better view are Rosa and Charles, Diaz being Amy's maid of honour and Boyle Jake's best man of course. 

And even though Amy gets married in a simple white dress Gina managed to find last minute on a sale, she has never felt more beautiful than right there on this boat in the eyes of her just wedded husband. It's the tears that give Jake away, after Captain Holt announces them husband and wife - how much he wanted for this to happen. 

They all celebrate till the late hours of the night but Jake and Amy are the only ones who stay up long enough to see the sunrise. They sit on the bow of the boat, Amy nestled between Jake's legs, snuggling into his chest with his arms encircling her tightly. They don't dare to disturb the quietness and tenderness of this moment with conversation.

Their actions telling more than words could ever do.

~~~*~~~

“Where are we Ames?”

“Just a second, Jake.”

“I can hear the sea! Awww, Ames! Did you set up a picnic on the beach for our two-year anniversary?”

She chuckles to herself - if he's so excited about a silly picnic on the beach, she wonders what's his reaction going to be for what Amy really came up for this occasion.

“Wow, Jake, you really are a detective for a reason!” She says jokingly, knowing he likes to be reminded of his recent promotion. “Yes, you can hear the sea, but - I have to disappoint you - there will be no picnic.”

The pout that his lips form is too adorable for Amy not to kiss it off his face, and it quickly changes into a huge beam. He does look dorky with the band covering his eyes and a cheeky grin, and Amy's heart jumps internally from all the emotions she feels for this man.

They finally stop and Amy makes a move to take off the cloth from his head.

“Okay, ready? 3, 2, 1...” And she takes it off with a one swift move and now that she thinks about it, it was really stupid of her to stand behind him and not see his reaction. And suddenly she becomes so nervous, thinking it may not be such a good idea as she first thought, she's rooted to her place not daring to move.

“A boat?” Jake turns in her direction with the shock written all over his face and Amy feels the irresistible need to explain herself.

“Well, to be more specific - our boat. You see, I know how much you miss the sea and the-” but she doesn't get to finish, as Jake lifts her from the ground, taking her in his arms in the moment of sheer happiness.

“Thank you, Ames.” 

She smiles into his neck, high-fiving herself internally for being such an awesome wife for her husband.

They sail a bit into the open sea, because Jake insists _she_ (Amy tries her hardest not to feel jealous over a boat, at the same time being aware of how ridiculous it sounds) needs to feel the freedom of the open waters otherwise it will rot. And Amy starts to enjoy their little trip more when Jake hugs her from behind, as she rests on the rail, and gives her a kiss right behind her ear. Just in the right spot.

“I can't believe my wife has been so reckless to make such a huge expense now that we have a baby on the way.” He sighs theatrically, obviously teasing her but she gets annoyed anyway (blame the hormones, not her), so she smacks him on the arm.

“Hey, it's not like I knew when I was buying the boat!”

He snickers quietly, kissing her temple in order to calm her down.

“Relax babe, I know it takes longer than 5 days to buy a boat.” 

Yes, she doesn't know if she would go with this crazy idea of buying a boat for them if she knew they were having a baby. But the two of them had found out she’s pregnant only few days ago, weeks after the purchase, so that musings are irrelevant now.

Besides, she likes the the image of them sailing on the boat, Jake behind the steer, teaching their kids how do it. Well, it's fair to say she likes every image of her little family with Jake.

And even though life isn’t always smooth sailing, with the wind not always in the desirable direction, rough waves on the way and storms of a force capable of shredding the ship of a family to pieces, Amy knows that what she and Jake had - their love, respect for each other, friendship and admiration - was strong more than enough to fight all obstacles that come upon them. The future is an open sea, an ocean even, but they’re more than happy to explore these unknown waters. 

~~~the end~~~

**Author's Note:**

> This has been such a great experience to take part in this event! I really enjoyed writing this fic and the prompt was quite challenging but the moment I got the idea it's been fun only (even tho I'm not sure if the outcome matches the goal of the prompt hahah :D )
> 
> Would you like to read the story of their first meeting and the case they've been working? ;) it's gonna be jake's pov so it'll show their friendship from a little different perspective
> 
> Your feedback is a delicious meal for my soul, so please - leave kudos and comments with your thoughts, it's a real fuel for the writer <3 :)))


End file.
